iPad as a laptop replacement

[bondr006]

Ok, yeah, I thought you probably were. 👍🏻. I use my desktop monitor with my iPad on occasion for projects where I want more screen real estate. Overall I’m pretty good with the extended display experience, but one of the main things I wish they would improve with it is showing Control Center on the desktop monitor. You can click it on the monitor just like on the iPad’s display, but then the Control Center opens on the iPad’s display instead of the desktop monitor. Which can be a bit jarring. I’m hoping they will add Control Center to the extended display, that would be so much nicer. But other than that, I’m pretty happy with it. 👍🏻

But I totally get that it’s a matter of personal preference. 👍🏻

I'm into customization... we had a bug in beta process of iPadOS 26 where I could get a different wallpaper on the external monitor. I was hoping the bug didn't get fixed lol, because that's a feature I would like having.

I love iPad OS 26.2! It's my favorite update so far. I do wish though, that the external display was customizable like MacOS and Windows. You should be able to have a different background, and be able to put folders, icons, and widgets on the external display....just like the main iPad display. Anyway, it's on my wish list

 

[Kal Madda]

I'm into customization... we had a bug in beta process of iPadOS 26 where I could get a different wallpaper on the external monitor. I was hoping the bug didn't get fixed lol, because that's a feature I would like having.

Yeah, more customization would be great! 👍🏻. And as @bondr006 said, options to add widgets, apps, folders, etc. to it would be great as well. 👍🏻. I’m hoping that they may add some of those things in iPadOS 27. 👍🏻

 

[Ludatyk]

Yeah, more customization would be great! 👍🏻. And as @bondr006 said, options to add widgets, apps, folders, etc. to it would be great as well. 👍🏻. I’m hoping that they may add some of those things in iPadOS 27. 👍🏻

I would be surprised if we get any meaningful features for iPadOS 27… when 26 was the biggest upgrade in the history of the platform.

Normally, Apple does things in a tick-tock cycle for OS features on the iPad… and this year will be the tick.

 

[Kal Madda]

I would be surprised if we get any meaningful features for iPadOS 27… when 26 was the biggest upgrade in the history of the platform.

Normally, Apple does things in a tick-tock cycle for OS features on the iPad… and this year will be the tick.

So I think it depends on what you consider meaningful. Sure, I’m not expecting another iPadOS 26 level update, but we saw some pretty meaningful features in iPadOS 16, 17, and 18 as well. I could see some expansion/improvement on extended display support as an option for a more “minor” update, especially considering it wouldn’t draw the same level of fanfare as a new design or Apple Intelligence. 👍🏻. But I do agree, I’m definitely not expecting another 26 level update, though I do think they may continue to refine productivity features. 👍🏻

 

[bondr006]

I would be surprised if we get any meaningful features for iPadOS 27… when 26 was the biggest upgrade in the history of the platform.

Normally, Apple does things in a tick-tock cycle for OS features on the iPad… and this year will be the tick.

Agreed, but afaic, Apple should have given the ability to make the external display the main display from the git go when they gave us external monitor support, with ability to change wallpaper, add app icons, add folders, add widgets, and being able to turn off the iPad screen if desired. Some of the things they hold back are some of the easiest things to do and just makes me....

Edit: And as @Kal Madda mentions below...being able to access the Control Center on the external monitor.

 

[Kal Madda]

Agreed, but afaic, Apple should have given the ability to make the external display the main display from the git go when they gave us external monitor support, with ability to change wallpaper, add app icons, add folders, add widgets, and being able to turn off the iPad screen if desired. Some of the things they hold back are some of the easiest things to do and just makes me....View attachment 2590357View attachment 2590354View attachment 2590358View attachment 2590356View attachment 2590360

I agree, though I will give them that they were implementing the feature for the first time on a system that originally wasn’t designed for it, so it’s not quite as simple as copy and paste from the Mac, so I can understand some growing pains. But I do definitely think they should add all of these things. 👍🏻

I think part of the issue is that rather than saving an extended display layout on the iPad for future use, it just uses a generic design every time an extended display is connected, simply mirroring the currently used wallpaper. So nothing is actually saved in iPadOS for the extended display’s configuration, which would need to change. And since the Home Screen paradigm is a bit different from the desktop paradigm on macOS, it also means implementation of such will be a bit different in terms of coding. But I see things becoming way more unified between the Home Screen and desktop, and I do think that the extended displays will get these things at some point.

In order to make an extended display the primary display, they will also need to iron out the Control Center behavior so that it’s actually accessible on the extended display directly. I don’t know why this isn’t currently supported, but I suspect it may be a limitation with the design of Control Center under the surface that may need some further work to improve. 👍🏻

I really hope that they do all of these things, and I think there’s a pretty good chance they will. I suspect they are probably working on developing these things, and just haven’t released them yet until they’re ready/finished. 👍🏻

 

[Ludatyk]

So I think it depends on what you consider meaningful. Sure, I’m not expecting another iPadOS 26 level update, but we saw some pretty meaningful features in iPadOS 16, 17, and 18 as well. I could see some expansion/improvement on extended display support as an option for a more “minor” update, especially considering it wouldn’t draw the same level of fanfare as a new design or Apple Intelligence. 👍🏻. But I do agree, I’m definitely not expecting another 26 level update, though I do think they may continue to refine productivity features. 👍🏻

What @bondr006 suggested such as adding features to external monitor like changing wallpaper, folders and widgets... I consider those meaningful features.

I suspect we see some under the hood improvements with iPadOS 27... maybe some slight design changes, but no external monitor features. I'm hoping we get simultaneously audio streaming feature... it has been rumored for the past couple years and hasn't arrived yet.

 

[vanilla_prison]

I’m still stuck on someone saying a Mac Mini is 5% of an iPad Pro lol

 

[sparksd]

I’m still stuck on someone saying a Mac Mini is 5% of an iPad Pro lol

Judge the comment by the source.

 

[Meedoss]

Ok, yeah, I thought you probably were. 👍🏻. I use my desktop monitor with my iPad on occasion for projects where I want more screen real estate. Overall I’m pretty good with the extended display experience, but one of the main things I wish they would improve with it is showing Control Center on the desktop monitor. You can click it on the monitor just like on the iPad’s display, but then the Control Center opens on the iPad’s display instead of the desktop monitor. Which can be a bit jarring. I’m hoping they will add Control Center to the extended display, that would be so much nicer. But other than that, I’m pretty happy with it. 👍🏻

But I totally get that it’s a matter of personal preference. 👍🏻

I use the apple keyboard and trackpad and brightness keys only adjusts the iPad not the studio display, have too go into settings for it, annoying.

 

[Kal Madda]

I use the apple keyboard and trackpad and brightness keys only adjusts the iPad not the studio display, have too go into settings for it, annoying.

Oh, that sounds like it would be annoying. To be honest, I never adjust the brightness of my desktop monitor (my desk space is a bit darker and shaded from direct sunlight), so I never tried that or thought about it. I hope they improve that as well. 🙂👍🏻

Thinking about it, would a Siri Shortcut possibly help with that? It wouldn’t be a complete fix or as good as it just being supported normally, but it just occurred to me because most Settings can now be triggered via Shortcuts, and I use some Siri Shortcuts like that to streamline my workflow. I may have to look and see if external display settings are supported by Shortcuts or not. 👍🏻

 

[bondr006]

Thought you guys might like this. Picture of my first iPad(iPad 1st gen) and iPod Touch 3rd gen. I got my first iPhone the next year(iPhone 4). I knew the iPad was something that would become very useful to me. I had a keyboard and case for every iPad model that I've owned since.

My iPad 4 was my first cellular iPad. Paid $805.00 and got a ZAGG keyboard for it.



It's been a real trip with a lot of wish lists along the way with iPad, but I knew from the beginning that it was a real keeper. We've come a long way baby!

 

[Kal Madda]

Thought you guys might like this. Picture of my first iPad(iPad 1st gen) and iPod Touch 3rd gen. I got my first iPhone the next year(iPhone 4). I knew the iPad was something that would become very useful to me. I had a keyboard and case for every iPad model that I've owned since.

View attachment 2590451

My iPad 4 was my first cellular iPad. Paid $805.00 and got a ZAGG keyboard for it.

View attachment 2590458 View attachment 2590457

It's been a real trip with a lot of wish lists along the way with iPad, but I knew from the beginning that it was a real keeper. We've come a long way baby!

Wow, that’s cool! The iPad has come such a far way! 👍🏻. Also, great app organization with the app folders. 👍🏻

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

I remember going to the library with my OG 2010 iPad and Apple Bluetooth keyboard, to take notes on while researching for my assignments. You just got the feeling that this was a new class of device.

Man did I ever get tired of the constant stream of "it's just a big iPhone, what's so special about it" from the Apple haters real quick.